He runs our STEM Boosters Club, organizes funding through grants, drives a bus for fieldtrips, runs our CyberPatriot Team, is chair of the Student Astronaut Challenge, is a Team Leader, co-chairs the John Glenn Top Gun Academy, and is our go-to tech guru. Mr. Harris loves his students, and he embraces their potential by exposing them to curriculum and experiences that they would otherwise not have, like overnight trips to Kennedy Space Center, simulating flight and space exploration with software, flight sims, and a planetarium, attaining an FAA license to fly a drone, competing nationwide in aerospace competitions, and running a summer space camp. His most recent feat was digitizing information from the International Space Station National Laboratory, so that educators worldwide can access videos, lessons, and assessments via an online platform called Scoutlier. Mr. Harris is an amazing educator who deserves to be recognized for his dedication to our students, our school, and public education in general.

The teaching profession is losing teachers every day, but math teachers at my school often say they will not leave because of him and the support and respect he gives us on a daily basis. We will take on extra classes or lead Saturday bootcamps because of the example he has set for us to always put the students first. Brian Krautter is without a doubt the best teacher and leader in Hillsborough County. He deserves to be recognized for his humble and selfless leadership.

I have worked with Brian for almost 13 years. He genuinely cares about his teachers, not only as professionals, but as humans as well. His impact in the classroom can’t be overstated. I have heard students say ‘the tall guy who is a great teacher’ for years; his students are very appreciative of his dedication to their academic success.

His leadership skills have been put on full display this year as a few of his employees have left for various reasons i.e. medical, family etc. Juggling the responsibility of keeping up with vacant classrooms’ children has been challenging, but Mr. Krautter has done everything in his power to make sure these kids aren’t left behind.

I can’t think of a more deserving person for this award.

Brian is an amazing Department Head, Teacher and fellow faculty member.  He works with all students to help them understand the material they are struggling with at their level of understanding.  He is patient, works to build up the students understanding so that they feel better about the math they are learning.  He is an amazing leader to his teachers and students.  His work ethic is an example to the students and our teachers as to how to manage teaching in this changing time.  He lead by example of how a classroom should operate and how to be a good person to others.  He works with his teachers to help us be better at working with our students and each other.  He is always smiling and giving assistance to the students, teachers and parents.

Over 20 students have been a part of construction career signing day. They have been placed with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 915(IBEW),  TECO and other electrical companies in our community.

Mr. Guillen is an inspiration to his students, and to our faculty and staff.  He gives a 110% a 110% of the time.  He is the example of a great teacher!

Mr. Guillen has built an electricity program at Plant City HS that offers the students the opportunity to learn a high wage/high demand trade. It has grown to a robust program with six classes of electricity from only three classes in 2016. In a joint effort with the local electrical union and the State of Florida, seniors can begin their career path as union electricians by completing the pre-apprenticeship program.

The teacher is an advisor for the SkillsUSA organization, where his students compete in electrical construction wiring at the Regional, State, and National levels. In the last eight years, his students have represented Plant City High School and Hillsborough County at the State level in electrical construction wiring and have consistently placed in the top 5. In 2024, the electrical students swept the regional event, taking 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.

The extra effort that the teacher gives allows his student to experience field trips such as the IDEAL National Competiton Convention, Lennar Homes Career Day, Construction Career Day are just a few. This involves the planning, required field trip forms, transportation arrangements, and of course, chaperoning his students for overnight competitions. Any teacher will tell you that it is a lot of coordination and time outside of your regular duties to be there for the students.

Through his active advisory board, his students benefit from the relationships he has built with TECO, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 915 (IBEW), and other electrical companies in our community. Over 20 students have been a part of construction career signing day at Plant City High. They have been placed with these companies and are successful because of the training they have received by Mr. Gullen.

Mr. Guillen has been recognized as the 2019 Klein Tools Electrician of the Year – Head of the class award. He has also been awarded by the Career and Technical Education organization as a CTE Teacher of the year. This school year, his program was selected by Home Depot for the “Day of Service” class project were the students built “Charger Man” with the Home Depot staff. There are many other examples of how this industrial trades teacher is making on the students and their careers. He deserves recognition from the Irish 31’s Cheers of Service.

Along with making learning easier and more exciting for his students, he changes kids lives and leaves an ever-lasting impact on them. Mr. Taft cares about his students an extensive amount and his support is continuously unwavering. I have noticed at times, when there are students that have no motivation or desire to do well in other classes, Mr. Taft finds a way to turn a switch on inside of their heads, and all of a sudden they are motivated, ready to learn and work each day, and genuinely enjoy school when they are in his class. Mr. Taft is always ready to help out at any moment whenever a student is struggling in any regard. I have also noticed that Mr. Taft well respected and admired by his coworkers, as he continuously does his job to the best of his ability and farther. Everyone at Robinson appreciates Mr. Taft and I think the fact that he struggled while in high school, and now uses that passion to create change and help his students so that they don’t go through any kind of high school experience like he did makes him even more special.

On top of being one of the most innovative teachers at Lewis, Karen was selected to write STEM lessons for the Department of Defense. These lessons have led to Lewis owning and using water rockets, drones, and a drone cage. She has facilitated multiple trainings for faculty in implementing these lessons and using incredible materials with students in all grade levels. Through this lesson-writing program, Karen helped Lewis become the host school for Space Day in 2022. Students had the opportunity to meet and interact with astronauts and engineers from Blue Horizon and the Aldrin Family Foundation. Students were even able to write postcards that were sent to space in a Blue Horizon rocket!

Along with another teacher, Mrs. Hartman founded the end-of-the-year event at Lewis called “Ready, Set, Summer!” This school-wide community event offers families the chance to receive backpacks with literacy materials to practice over the summer, information about summer camps and programs, fun activities provided by grade-level teachers, and exciting performances from student music and dance groups.

Karen’s passion to help better her school is contagious. This year, she helped work on a marketing campaign that reached out to Lewis’ local neighborhoods inviting them to enroll through the HCPS Choice program to help increase enrollment numbers and secure teachers’ positions at the school. What truly sets Karen apart is her unwavering passion for her students. She is dedicated to their success and growth, always finding creative ways to engage and inspire them. Whether it be through incorporating new technologies into her lessons – like using simulators on their laptops, launching water rockets to test payload masses, or flying drones to determine area and perimeter – and organizing extracurricular activities, Karen consistently goes the extra mile to ensure her students and school have the best learning experiences possible. Mrs. Hartman truly believes everything she does is for the betterment of her students colleagues, and school – and she’s right!

Enhancing Stature of Teachers and the Teaching Profession: Mrs. Robinson works with fellow teachers and professionals to ensure her students have all the means of support necessary. Her reach extends beyond the classroom by epitomizing an ambassador to education. She presents lectures at National Science Teacher Association conferences to help other teachers integrate hands on STEM into their subject lessons. Mrs. Robinson incorporates STEM processes into written and verbal communication, multi-step processes, social skills, and so much more.

Community Commitment: Outside of the classroom, Mrs. Robinson is the Director of Area 6 for the Florida Association of Science Teacher.  This voluntary position requires her to help promote and support the needs of science education to teachers, students, and organizations in Hillsborough, Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Sumter, Polk and Pinellas Counties.  Mrs. Robinson also devotes her weekends to co-running the AEDI Foundation. The organization exposes children of all races, socioeconomic backgrounds, and abilities to STEM education, critical thinking, and problem solving. The exceptional students taking part in the foundation’s STEM Saturday events receive a one-of-a-kind experience.  She has also voluntarily co-run an afterschool club, in the lowest performing elementary schools in Pinellas County.  She has taught the students coding, flying drones, programing, chemistry, and other STEM related activities at no cost to the school or the families.

I know you have a tough decision with wonderful teachers receiving nominations. But, my hope is that I have relayed how truly exemplary, dedicated, and devoted Mrs. Robinson is as an early learning ESE teacher/innovator/educational advocate.

Mrs. Robinson is the best Pre-K 3 teacher we could ever ask for. With this being the first time my son is attending school, we were nervous parents. My son has only been babysat by his grandparents and has never been trusted with someone outside the family. I could not have left my son with more of a wonderful person/ teacher. Mrs. Robinson has set up an inclusive classroom that promotes positive behavior and a positive classroom culture. Everything that she does is done with purpose and fidelity. When setting up her positive reinforcement behavior plan, she made a 10 frame for each student. When the student fills all 10 spots of their 10 frame, they get to pick from the prize box. As a result, by mid-year, my son could look at a 10 frame and identify a set of 10 objects by subitizing. He is also able to tell you that there’s 5 on the top and 5 on the bottom. As a 3 year old, he is already beginning to master kindergarten standards. She is setting a foundation for these students to help them be as successful as possible. Her motto is to expose them to as much as she can.  She asks, “if they can learn beyond the 3 year old standards, why not teach them?” She also teaches them a letter of the week and ties the letters to fun activities that help these young students build their fine motor skills. All students are highly engaged when they build letters using play dough, tracing, building them with their favorite snacks, and through singing songs. Because she chose to go beyond the standards, my son now knows all of the letter’s she’s taught and is even beginning to write his name. Agan, these are 3 year old children!!! She works diligently to teach the students all of the social and emotional skills as well. My son has improved so much in the area of sharing, playing fairly, taking turns, self-regulation, and strategies for calming down when feeling big emotions. She has taught her students so many foundational skills about emotions that they’ll be able to use these skills all the way through adulthood. Mrs. Robinson has spoiled us by challenging my son and setting the bar high in the most loving, respectful environment one could ever ask for. She uploads pictures daily to Class DoJo so we can see what our kids are working on, how much fun they’re having, and how we can reinforce that at home. She plans very fun classroom celebrations to celebrate student success. She is constantly engaged with the students doing fun projects like dropping humpty dumpty, using real hard boiled eggs, off a wall they built to see if he would break. The made different surfaces for him to fall onto (rocks, coton balls, etc) so they could make predictions if he would break or stay together if falling onto different surfaces. When I asked my 3 year old what the force is called that pulls humpty dumpty to the ground, he was able to tell me gravity. I could go on and on about all of the wonderful things that Mrs. Robinson does for my son but I think you get the picture. I highly recommend her class to all of the parents I know. She is an asset to Perkins Elementary and an asset to Pinellas County Schools. We are very lucky to have such an amazing teacher for our son and she deserves every bit of recognition.

This also means that school data reflects milestones in student achievement and a strong presence of a college going culture, and Ms. Goode plays a huge role in that. As an AP Computer Science teacher, she prepares students to earn college credit through her very engaging and creative coding lessons that include tangible manipulatives as well as computer work. Her role as the AVID 4 teacher pays dividends for our students. Students in her class are required to apply for college scholarships as a grade. This has resulted in AVID 4 seniors earning over $10 million in scholarships over the past three years. This does not account for Bright Futures. Ms. Goode has also worked to secure grant funds to bring educators from Stephen Covey’s Leadership Program to our students. Because of her work our students are receiving professional lessons in leadership and building/utilizing your social capital.

BCHS is a Title 1 school, which means we serve a population of students that may have little to no resources and/or who may not have the support at home to ensure students are prepared and have obtained the skills and resources needed to reach their post-secondary goals. However, the work that Ms. Goode is doing, helps to bridge that gap. 100% of her AVID senior get accepted into a college and all of them have received full or partial scholarships to help them with cost. It is for these reasons, that I feel Ms. Goode is more than deserving of this recognition and award.

Any student that asks me about Seminole High, I immediately recommend and say, “But you need to be in the CEL program with Mrs. Russo.” I wouldn’t be the student I am, or as involved as I am, without her. She not only is the head of the CEL (Center of Education and Leadership) academy, which is the biggest academy at our school, but she also has brought many other programs to our school. Such as Leader in Me, which is a student lead group which works hand and hand with the school to better it. HIP (Health Information Project), which is a program where older students inform Freshman about important mental and physical health conversations, that they might not know about. This program has truly changed life’s, for the better. Mrs, Russo also leads Educators Rising, where students are encouraged to learn more about being an educator, and give back to the educators at our school. She also offered her CEL students to tutor other struggling students at the school, to make sure all students had the best chance to succeed. This was a hit, and not only gave the students a chance to learn, but a chance to connect with other students who they can look up to. She is also a leader in the community, always looking for ways to give back. She has partnered with many programs and encouraged her students to participate. With this, the CEL academy has thousands of hours combined. I am beyond proud to be a student of Mrs. Russo as I know every other of her students are. Her classes have taught me the most, and I will forever carry what she taught me into my life. Mrs. Russo is not only a teacher, but a mentor, who genuinely cares about her students, and their well being. If you have a problem, she will work one on one with you, until you figure it out. If you are having a bad day, she will be the first to make sure you are okay. She opens her room for lunch so every student feels like they have a place to go. Anytime something needs to be done, everyone goes to Mrs. Russo, and she does it, without any hesitation. Usually, teachers are hard to talk to, and can be super stressful to work with. But, not Mrs. Russo. If all teachers were like her, the education system would be superior. She is the person I will always talk about when my kids ask me about a teacher that impacted my life. Seminole High would not be the same without her. Everyone needs a Mrs. Russo in their life!

She teaches at an alternative school. She doesn’t view her students as problems. Instead, she knows that her students are going through tough times , and she helps them get through it every time. If I ever had a difficult day, she was a shoulder to cry on, someone that gave great advice when you do not know what to do. One thing about Ms. Witeck is she cares deeply about her students. I always hated school and I never wanted to go, but I would go because of her class. She is different from other teachers. She gave us a voice in her class and always supported us in ways that made difficult work doable. She always had our attention with lessons. She is someone the students trust. Ms. Witeck is the type of teacher that even if you graduate, will always be there for you, basically once her student is always her student. I am proud that I had as my teacher and my role model. The world needs more teachers like her. She has inspired myself and a few others to major in education to become teachers so we can give the knowledge and love she gave to us. Now in closing, there are no words to explain how amazing she is. She has made a long-lasting impact on my life, and I am forever grateful. In the picture, Ms. Witeck is on the left.

Zayda’s goal has always been to enhance the lives of children by providing a comprehensive education best suited to meet their individual needs and goals. She has taught at Pinellas County schools for nearly a decade, assisting ESE and ELL students during their first three years of primary education. Her life testifies to service and selflessness, as indicated by her extensive training along with her ability to seamlessly foster inclusion, validation, and empowerment among children throughout South Florida. Zayda is an inspiration to all who seek to equip future generations with knowledge and insight. By ensuring every student receives the attention and instruction necessary to thrive, Zayda promotes positive change within our community. She has also taught at a STEM robotics camp at the University of South Florida, where she led students in the discovery of mathematics, technology, and engineering.

She is a true hero among educators as she continually seeks ways to connect with young learners, placing them on the path to academic success. She is an all-around trailblazer who leaves an indelible mark on students by offering a powerful blend of dedication, persistence, patience, and compassion. In May of 2023, Zayda was recognized as an Outstanding Educator by the Pinellas Classroom Teachers’ Association, a hard-earned accolade that celebrated her vast accomplishments in the field of education. In her spare time, Zayda assists at a local animal rescue, Tampa-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit Rags to Riches Animal Rescue, Inc.

It should be noted Zayda has achieved all this while battling chronic health issues that have required multiple surgeries. She truly has a servant’s heart, powering through personal medical struggles to continue assisting local youth at every opportunity.

She is a wonderful grandmother and an amazing teacher. She is someone you can look up to and she always make sure her kids are set, whether it’s her children, grandchildren, or her students. The best kind of person you can have in your life.

Magali is a wonderful grandmother, mother & teacher who is extremely giving. Her heart is made of gold and always wants the best for everyone.

For the past 20 years I‘ve seen how passionate Magie is about her work. She is an amazing teacher, always hard at working in developing ways to engage students and parents in activities. spends lots of time after hours speaking with parents about their child’s progress, showing concern and support for those in need. Magie is  an amazing compassionate person, someone who is a pleasure to know and have in your life.

Magie is an amazing grandmother, teacher and a person you could look up to at anytime. She’s extremely hardworking and caring for her grandchildren, children and students. She is an intelligent, loving, respectful and supportive individual.

Magie is so good at her job, she is the best teacher ever!

She is so nice and patient to everyone, a true super teacher!

Magie is a wonderful, caring, dedicated, intelligent teacher who really loves her job and her students. She always goes above and beyond to make sure they succeed and do the right thing. She inspires creative mindsets and is excellent at understanding a child’s mind. She has a good balance and knows what she is doing. She is not only a fantastic teacher but a fantastic mother, grandmother, friend and person. She does anything to help those in need and is always so supportive and inspiring.

Her love & motivation for teaching is reflected in her son Jackson’s performance in his school work. Throughout his life, she has been extremely involved in his education, ensuring he performs at a high level in his school work, and providing tutoring for him to ensure his success.

Patricia is an avid runner, being a member of the Irish 31 run club at the Hyde Park location for almost a decade. When the teachers at TInker were charged with developing clubs for the children to choose from and participate in each Friday afternoon, Patricia created the Tinker Run Club for 2nd & 3rd graders. A majority of the children from these grades joined this club and actively participate in running during the clubs activities each Friday afternoon.

Finally, she shows her concerns for all the children in her class. Each evening she will discuss her concerns for numerous children, identifying issues children are struggling with, not only in the class room but also at home, and tries to develop options or actions for the children or the parents to act upon to improve each child’s needs in education.

Patricia is a genuinely caring and loving educator who constantly strives to ensure the success of all the children in her care each day, and this is why I am nominating her for the Cheers to Public Service 2024 Award.

I walked past 3 teachers with my crying child before someone finally said to me, “Is she ok?”, as I sent her into the auditorium. It was Mr Fox. I fell apart because she was not ok, nor was I. I briefly gave him a bit of our history. He assured me he would find her, keep an eye on her, and make sure she was ok. That was my introduction to Mr. Fox.

He could hardly do any wrong in my eyes after that, but he does so much more right than even the help he gave me that day. He magically takes a large group of middle schoolers, many of whom have never picked up a string instrument in their lives, and turns them into an orchestra. He shows up at school early for kids who want extra practice. He stays late for kids who want extra practice. He works hard to get other professionals in to evaluate the kids and help to improve their skills. He makes orchestra fun with events like rock-a-thon, a Disney performance, halloween concerts, and field trip rewards like chick-fil-a and outback after lots of hard work on events like MPA.  He selflessly gives so much of his time to these kids and is so patient with them. They all love and respect him so highly that they never want to disappoint him. He cares about these kids so much and it shows in everything he does. The transformation that occurs from 6th grade to 8th in these orchestra students is magical. He teaches more than technique, theory, and performance artistry. Through his actions he also teaches patience, kindness, and how music can be transforming.

Today, I attended what will likely be the last Hillsborough County schools MPA that one of my children participates in. Those kids did AMAZING. We were fortunate enough to be able to watch them perform their sight reading piece after their performances pieces. It was incredible to see how Mr Fox prepared them to play a piece in only the 5 minutes each group was given. They did an amazing job on the sight reading piece and received a 19/20 and superior on it, as well as superiors on all their performance pieces.  I have a lot of things I am juggling in my life. It is very rare that the thoughts in my head of all I need to do, and all the problems I am jugging, ever stop. Today, while I listened to this group of approximately seventy 7th and 8th graders play together beautifully like they had been doing so for years and years, my head cleared and my stress level dropped. For those three songs, I was taken out of the chaos of life. I was just there in the moment, enjoying the beautiful music. I will forever be grateful to Mr. Fox for all he does for our kids, and to his family for sharing him with the students at Wilson. Cheers to Mr. Fox for his service!

MR. For is a talented and incredible teacher and orchestra conductor. He makes every single child feel they have a talent and can play an instrument. He gives them hope and show they can accomplish big things with hard work and dedication. He makes them believe that anything is possible! And for that, I nominate Mr. Fox!

She builds relationships with each of her students and shows them what “tough love” is really about.  Students have a different type of respect for Ms. Dillehay compared to the respect they have for other teachers. They understand, not always right away, but that her expectations are set to help them be the best version of them in her classroom and in life. She teaches the difference between being fair and being equitable, without the students realizing it at the time. “Life’s not always fair, but together we will grow and learn from each of our experiences to become comfortable being uncomfortable.” Within the four walls of her classroom, Ms. Dillehay teaches math, but the reality of what she does goes well beyond 1+1=2. By the time students leave for the day, for the weekend, for the scheduled breaks and for their next grade level, they have learned more than just math, they have learned what it takes to advocate for themselves, choices have consequences (both positive and negative) and that being a good person is the best title you can ever earn.

I know Mrs. Arielle also spends time after school doing the same thing, not concerned about getting home as soon as possible, but rather helping every kid that needs it as late as it takes. I’ve watched her spend hours at night, on the weekend, and beyond working on lesson plans and trying to research new creative ways to help her kids enjoy learning. She cares as much as any Teacher that’s ever existed. She’s bought students food that didn’t have any, taken kids to their house bc they had no ride, selflessly always putting her students first. It’s not just about the effort but also the results, as she sets the bar with one of the highest passing rates for students when test time rolls around in the county! She typically takes the lead with her team too, sharing lesson plans, and organizing material… and that’s when she isn’t helping with another Branch in the School like SGA or NHS. Arielle doesn’t only deserve credit, she’s earned it in every way. I’m thankful to be able to brag about her and the impact she makes every day in the classroom in our community.

I cannot recommend Mrs. Blobner highly enough! She is always tactful, attentive to both students and parents, and just AMAZING at what she does. She has a remarkable ability to help students strive to do better, always being responsive to their needs. Mrs. Blobner offered to tutor my son 3 days per week for a few weeks before school to prepare him for the PERT test even though she did not have do to that. She was always on time and extremely accommodating. Mrs. Blobner goes out of her way to ensure EVERY SINGLE student feels supported and valued. Her kindness and dedication makes her truly an outstanding educator. She communicates with parents without making them wait for days like a lot of teachers do. She actually reached out to me via text at the beginning of the year just to let me know that my son is doing well (little did she know how much it meant to mama’s heart).  My son ABSOLUTELY LOVES her classes and her personality. I would love more than anything to see Mrs. Blobner win the contest as this would be another confirmation for not only the educator herself, but also her students, that excellence pays off!!!

The main issue preventing these students from graduating is attendance. Mr. Flores is constantly on these kids to ensure they graduate. He shows up at their homes, places of work, and sporting events to consistently remind them what they need to do in order to receive a high school diploma and make plans with them to make it happen. He is one of the most dedicated teachers I know. He has even created a Credit Recovery Club where he organizes events with food and games to get kids to show up so they can work on their credit recovery. The money for the food and games comes out of his own pocket. He is respected by faculty and students alike not only for his dedication to his students and their success, but the kindness and good humor he shares with everyone he meets. He is a perfect example of a public servant and completely deserving of this award and recognition. Mr. Flores is hard working, dedicated, and a great role model for our students. Leto is lucky to have Art Flores at our school.

I nominate Ingrid Ashby to be celebrated by the 7th Annual Cheers to Public Service Award because of her tenacity and steadfastness in making her students the best that they can be.  Ms. Ashby teaches Algebra I Honors, Accelerated 7t grade Math as well as a support class for Algebra 1 Honors.  Ms. Ashby arrives early to work every day and begins her tasks for her students.  Greco Middle School has hired teachers from other countries one of which does not have a car.  Ms. Ashby drives him to and from school every day which is a selfless act.

Any staff member can attest that upon entering her class, all students are engaged in learning, and she is circulating the room to ascertain their level of understanding.  Ms. Ashby asked for assistance from the Administration in planning a parent night for her Algebra I Honors students.  She felt it important that the parents understand the significance of earning a high school credit while in middle school and to seek their support in the endeavor.

As a colleague, I can depend on her for being reliable both to her commitment to students and flexibility to staff members.  Ms. Ashby is a person of few words but is a definite advocate for her students in whatever capacity is needed.  She has always been an asset to our school, and we greatly appreciate all that she does for our precious adults of tomorrow.

Within her school, she is the Specials Team Lead, SAC chair member, and a F.A.C.E Ambassador. In her district, Katie is a PLC Facilitator, and the secretary for the Hillsborough County Elementary Music Educator Council (HCEMEC).

Katie is also a member of FMEA Emerging Leaders program, which is a program where young teachers from all over the state are nominated based on their leadership and academic skills.

A graduate of the USF School of Music, Katie Thomas is in her 5th year of teaching elementary music. In the 2022-2023 school year she was awarded the Rising Star Award for Hillsborough County Music. She currently serves as an Emerging Leader on the Florida Music Educator Association (FMEA), and is secretary for the Hillsborough County Elementary Music Educator Council. She also facilitates the Brandon Area Music PLC’s. Mrs. Thomas does it all! And that’s not even the end of it!

At Yates Elementary, Katie is the specials team lead, SAC Chair and F.A.C.E. ambassador for parent family engagement.

Katie Thomas is a dedicated, kind, and selfless individual. Katie was my cooperating teacher for my pre-internship in elementary music education at USF. I had the pleasure of coming in to Katie’s music classes at Yates Elementary school to observe her teach. I could not imagine someone better fit for teaching student-teachers how to teach. Having an incredible role-model like Katie has been such an honor. I learned so much from observing and working with Katie Thomas. She has a hand chime ensemble, modern band, world drumming ensemble, and a choir. During all five years of her teaching, she had always had students make it into Hillsborough’s Fine Arts Festival All County Chorus. This year she even had her first student audition and make it into the Florida Elementary All State Chorus!

I believe that Katie and the wonderful students of Yates Elementary are beyond deserving of this opportunity.

Our son is speech delayed, and with the discipline and structure of how she facilitates the classroom, he is becoming vocal and exudes happiness, which is a huge milestone in my mom heart. All I ever wanted in this life was for my son to speak. She is exceedingly patient despite some of the challenges she may face throughout the day, unique to their needs.  She is remarkable and deserves so much recognition, because she serves a population of students who need additional help and does it with such grace and a heart full of love. Her smile radiates in your presence and ensures that you KNOW your children are so well taken care of during school. It is apparent how desperately she wants all of the children in her classroom to be successful and functional in society. One of my biggest fears of a child who didn’t speak was his inability to communicate if something happened, but every day we get a verbal one on one report of how his day was or what exciting things happened. She is proactive and receptive to feedback, and has truly impacted my life and my son’s life for the greater good. By chance, we were zoned for Schwarzkopf, but by fate we were assigned to Margaret Ochs. For even a brief moment, I hope you can grace her with the recognition she deserves, because she is extraordinary. One day, one step at a time, she’s drastically changing the life of our children, and I will forever be grateful to have crossed paths with the brightest light in your school system.

When it comes to preschoolers you have to be quick on your feet, have a big heart and so much patience. Mrs. Ochs has that and so much more! She is everything you would want a preschooler teacher to be! My child loves going to school because of the love she receives from her teacher and we are very grateful for her!!